


A Night at the Opera

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Ben is a big baby, F/M, Hux is a Good Guy, Marriage of Convenience, No Smut, Not Consummated, Open Ending, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Underage, Prince Ben - Freeform, Snoke is evil, heiress Rey, marriage by proxy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27560644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: One shot. Complete.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 16
Kudos: 40





	A Night at the Opera

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ayearandaday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayearandaday/gifts).



> A gift for Ayearandaday based on her prompt.

“I tell you I shan’t marry the chit!”

James Snoke sighed, thinking longingly of being without the necessity of managing the six foot three man-child currently pouting and scowling before him in order to achieve his goals.

“I tell you again, you must. Securing her will secure the Palpatine lands, and then not even your mother will be able to deny you your Amidala-Skywalker inheritance upon your marriage, as stipulated in your grandparents’ Will.”

The scowl on his charge’s face deepened, the pout still very evident, denoting extreme dissatisfaction with the word _must_. Well, small mercies, at least he’d grown out of throwing himself on the ground and drumming his heels on the floor in a temper tantrum.

He watched as his employer strode up and down the room, aiming kicks borne of petulance at various items of furniture, his dogs cowering under the clawed legs of a china cabinet. Hopefully their presence would discourage Prince Benjamin from overturning it for the gratification of hearing its contents all smash to smithereens.

“You say I won’t have to live with her?” He had temporarily halted his perambulation, sending a glowering look of inquiry Snoke’s way.

“Yes,” his man of business repeated patiently. “Lord Palpatine wishes to keep his granddaughter by his side a little longer.”

The prince’s perambulation had recommenced. It stopped again.

“How old is she? Sixteen, you say?”

“Yes, sir.” Snoke allowed himself a little jab at humour, “Sweet sixteen and never been kissed.” He gave a little titter, the prince’s frown reappeared, doubling in ferocity.

“Ugh, the worst kind of female. You know that’s not what I like, Snoke.”

Snoke bowed in mock deference, “I do, sir, but it can’t be helped.” Inspiration struck him, “Unless we look abroad for a suitable mate from one of the European royal houses?”

“Ugh, even worse, my mother likes to dabble in politics, you know that, Snoke. I’d have her careering all over Europe _interfering_ and dragging me into it. No.” He paused, biting his bottom lip. “Very well, then, but find someone else do the deed, I’m off to Italy on the Falcon as soon as I can get down to Southampton Water. Do the necessary and let me know when it’s all done.”

With that he swung out of the room and Snoke heard him setting up a shout for his valet and head groom, his spaniels pattering after him. Drat the boy, if he wasn’t absolutely essential to his plans he’d arrange for a fatal accident for him whilst on the high seas.

No, focus, he chided himself for his inattention. Sheev Palpatine couldn’t live forever, he’d get the boy to father a son and heir on the chit and then arrange for a nasty - fatal - accident for him, leaving himself as guardian and mentor of the young widow and all she possessed. Why, he might even marry her himself!

He allowed himself a self-satisfied cackle of mirth. Really, the boy ought to pay more attention to what he was signing. Palpatine of course was not such a pushover, but he would contrive. Yes, yes, he would contrive.

He left the room humming his favourite air.

**Three Years Later**

Prince Benjamin was newly returned from his continental journeying, where he had sampled to the full the delights to be found in the arms of ballerinas, opera singers and exquisite courtesans. Currently standing in a box at the opera, he was engaged in scowling at the glittering throng gathering beneath him and in the boxes opposite.

Beside him lounged his friend Armitage Hux, sent by Snoke to recall him from his protracted sojourn to partake in the London Season. He was not best pleased with such imperiousness, but apparently his wife, whom he’d never seen, was threatening to have the marriage dissolved, citing non-consummation. Had the chit no sense of decorum?

Palpatine had passed recently and had proven wilier than Snoke had anticipated, never handing over a shilling of her dowry or relinquishing a foot of her land; finally putting the chit’s affairs in trust until she was thirty. Amongst the trustees was his mother and Lord Lando Calrissian, powerful sworn enemies of Snoke, (as were all the trustees), considering him both a parvenu and an upstart.

Hux had confided all this to him, against Snoke’s express orders, he being a lover of mischief. Apparently, he now wanted the marriage to end and had lined up another prospective bride for his patron, not so well protected.

For some time now Ben had grown in awareness of Snoke’s power over him, and the self-inflicted thraldom he now must endure after giving Snoke such tools as Enduring Power of Attorney. He cursed himself for a fool. The friends he had made in Italy and France had all warned him of the peril he was in should his parents pass while such legal powers he had made over were in place.

All Europe seemed to know of his foolishness; that his fortune could be spirited away under his very nose - all that would be left would be empty titles and lands mortgaged to the hilt. He must wrest power back, but it would take time. Hopefully, the greater part could be saved.

Yes, Snoke’s summons served a dual purpose, giving him a reason to return without inciting too much suspicion and beginning the process of clawing back his inheritance.

As he mulled over these depressing thoughts, jaw working furiously, Hux lounging beside him, the door to the box opposite opened and a party began to enter. To his dismay he saw his mother and father, accompanied by Poe Dameron. He scoffed at the sight of Dameron, still clinging to his mother’s petticoats, clearly.

A naval officer brought up the rear, bicorne hat tucked under one arm with a lady clinging to the other - and what a lady, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

He stared at her, dumbstruck. Her glossy brunette hair was piled high on her head, with diamonds threaded through it. She wore an empire line dress of pale green silk with a gauze overskirt, the bodice embroidered and embellished with bugles that caught the light, so that she looked to be of the fairy sort. Indeed, if she suddenly unfolded iridescent wings he would not have been surprised.

She looked across at him. He saw her blush at sight of his intense staring, leaning forward to ask something of his mother. His princess mother looked up sharply and then across at him, putting up her fan and leaning back to whisper something to the goddess in green.

He saw his lady’s eyes widen and at once she unfurled her own fan and hid her face behind it, peeping at him over the top before lowering her eyes demurely.

“That’s right, sweetheart,” he murmured, “shield that lovely face from all eyes but mine.”

“Eh, what?” Hux, seated beside him asked, raising his eyes from contemplation of the programme.

“Hux, tell me, who is that lady opposite.”

Hux peered across the auditorium. “Really, Solo, do you not recognise your own mother? Have your wits gone begging or are you drunk?”

He ignored the provocation in Hux’s tone of voice; the ginger loved to be the superior of everyone he met. “No, you fool, I mean the lady in the green dress.”

Hux looked again. The lady still had her fan in front of her face, stealing surreptitious glances at him over it. Evidently, though, this was no bar to Hux. He began to laugh, making such a show attention began to be paid to them by other opera goers. Unwanted attention.

“Egad, Solo, what a fellow you are. A veritable monster. Why, man, that’s your wife!” He went off into another peal of laughter.

Opposite, the lady in green lowered her fan and smiled graciously at him, slightly inclining her head.

Aurélie Palpatine was a beauty, and the wife he had married by proxy and neglected these past three years, flaunting his mistresses before the eyes of the world. It should have shaken him to the core, robbed him of all hope, but his blood was also that of Han Solo. He recalled a saying of his father, often quoted, he murmured it now to himself.

“Never tell me the odds.”


End file.
